Arts & Culture
A Return to Roots: Indian Ocean in Ithaca
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By SNIGDHA SHARMA
“I never thought I’d be doing this.” A wave of chuckles rippled through Statler Auditorium on Sunday night, in response to the bearded man on stage. His free-flowing silver hair kept in check by a trademark cloth headband, bass guitarist and frontman of rock group, Indian Ocean, Rahul Ram commented on his return to Ithaca after almost 20 years. Ram ‘90 received his Ph.D from Cornell University in Environmental Toxicology, and since then, has been working with his band, Indian Ocean, which is widely regarded as one of India’s foremost rock fusion bands. Asha Cornell, a campus non-profit, organized the concert as a fundraiser to benefit education initiatives for underprivileged children in India. As the lights dimmed, each of the band members entered the stage clad in a short kurta — the traditional Indian tunic — and jeans, unassumingly taking his place at a microphone.